Southern Living

Look For Undertones 

Another reason to look at paint under different light is to inspect its undertones, which will become especially obvious depending on lighting cues. Shades of white or gray can vary more drastically than many people realize, so don’t just go grabbing any old hue willy-nilly. Look closely at the paint to determine what undertones it carries. 

“Often people get paint colors that are way too pink or way too yellow. That’s the most common paint mistake,” says Reed. “It depends on what direction your room is facing with the sun coming in. Whether it's early morning or the evening sun, the paint tone will look different.

Swatch Every Wall

In addition to checking paint in alternative lighting, Reed says that it’s her process to see how paint swatches look on every wall of the room she intends to paint. How light hits each wall and forms shadows will impact the appearance of the color.

Photo by Rett Peek

“I'll pull out key colors that I think would work well in the space and I like to hold them up on every wall,” Reed shares. “That's important because it's going to look different on all four walls.”